Process and apparatus foe



Oct. 12 192@n M0281 J. J. JAMOWSNY PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR FREATING BTUNINFEROUS MATERIALS Filed May le, 1922 5 sheen-snaai 1 F/ TUB-11N FEROUS MTERALS FOR TRSATXNG Filed May l5, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 c du. U

oct. 12 192e. mozls J. J. JAKOWSKY PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TRETING BITUMINIFERQUS MATERIALS Filed May 16, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 314 vente@ J. J. JAMON/SKY PHOCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING BITUMINIFEROUS MATERIALS Filed May 16| 1922 5 Sheets-5heet 4 WWM,

oct. 12 11926. wouw .11. J. JAKOWSKY i `PROCESSv AND APPARATUS FOR TBATING BITUMINIFEROUS MATERIALS Filed May 16, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 12, 1925 UNITED STATES JAY J'. JAKOWSKY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFQRNIA.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATNG BITUMENIFEROUS IVIATERIALS.

rlhis invention relates to a p 1ocess and apparatus for treating organic substances and especially organic substances contain-- ing bituminilierous or resinous materials,

5 for the extraction thereirom ot hydroca bon or resinous products, including oils and gases or :for the production ot useful residues.

Although the invention has a Wide lie-ld of applicability and usefulness, it is particularly applicable and useful in distilling bituminilerous materials tor the production ot commercially valuable hydrocarbon oils and gases therefrom, and, when certain materials are treated, tor the production also of useful residues. Examples of bituminiterous materials which may advantageously be treated by the process and apparatus constituting my invention are shales, coal, peat, Wood and lignite. These materials, upon the destructive distillation contemplated by my invention, can be made to yield distillates, such as oily and gaseous hydrocarbons or resinous material, ot' considerable commercial value, and, more particularly in the case olf coal, a Valuable residue in the form of a partciular high grade ot colte.

The materials selected tor treatment may vary Widely and Will depend upon the distillates or residues desired.

A general object ot the invention is to enable large quantities of the selected materials to be treated in any interval oit time;

that is, during any one run7 ot the apparatus, and at a minimum expense as to time consumed, heat employed, and care and attention required.

ln the attainment; ot the general object 4o referred to, certain difficulties encountered and disadyantages inherent in the practice ot prior processes and in the operation ot prior apparatus have been overconie by the nevel process and apparatus constituting 4 my invention.

A, common practice in the art has been to heat the material undergoing treatment in a retort to the di tillation temperature by conduction; that is, by initial application ot the heat by contact of a heating medium directly with outer particles of the mass of the material and by heat transference thereafter trom particle to particle inwardly throughout the mass. This has been toned 1 YEn etlicieut and economical mai 'oli l i but certain ditfcnlties hau: n

Serial No. 561,386.

therefrom in the distillation process, the chiel' of which relates to the creation in certam portions of the mass of material treated of temperatures not only higher than those required for the extraction ot' the volatile hydrocarbons but so high as to decompose those hydrocarbons into lighter and less commercially Valuable products. This objectionable result occurred particularly in the distillation ol such bituminiterous materials as shales and coal. Due to the comparatively low thermal conductivity ot these materials, the outside portions ot the mass undergoing' distillation, which Were either in contact with or in close proximity to the source ot heat, rapidly rose to a higher temperature than that ot the interior particles of the mass. As a result ot this non-uniform heating, the distillation process Was Very much morey rapid in the outside or more highly heated portions of' the material; and atter the hydrocarbon vapors had been formed and driven therefrom, these outside portions ot the mass still presented Zones of heat through which the distillation vapors evolving from the interior Were compelled to pass. These zones ot heat were generally of so high a degree that the yapors resulting from the interior distillation in passing therethrough Were decomposed to the lighter and less commercially Valuable hydrocarbons, and also in large degree, to non-condensable gases oit little commercial value. The character of the distillation process was therefore not uni'lorm throughout the mass oit material treated. rthis difticulty Was encountered particularly Where an attempt was made to treat a large body ot the material in retorts and by a compar atively high degree of heat in order to hasten the time ot the process.

@ne ot the particular objects of my in-v yention, both as to the process and as to the apparatus, is to overcome the difficulties referred to above. To that end, by the novel process, and, it desired, by use ot the novel apparatus, the mass ot the material treated is kept moving in a direction to advance successive portions and particles thereof through the region oit the immediate heating Zone; that is, through the region et the comparatively rapid and initial application of the heat. The mass also suh- 'jected to a current oit fr suitable 'liuid medium to drive eti' trein the particies and "portions ott the thus advanced through the heating yzone the resulting oils, vapors and gases of distillation, to evenly distribute the acquired heat throughout the mass, and to reduce the temperature of any portions which have risen high enough to deleteriously affect distillation products evolving from the other portions. Preferably, the entire mass of the material is given such movements in successive cycles as to ulti- -mately advance vsubstantially all portions and particles thereof a number of times `through the heating Zone referred to, the

Vcome into the initial heating zone, and the danger of increments of lheat in the distillate extending to its decomposition is avoided.v

It has 4been discovered by extensive eX- perimentation 'that the maximum yield of 'oil of lhigh grade vis obtained Aby causing the oil-bearing material .to gradually reach the temperature of `complete distillation. The gradual heating of large masses of the material up to the temperature of complete and uniform distillation of all its portions is, however, attended With difficulties Where the thermal conductivity of the material is alone depended upon for Iconveying the heat from the outer portions, to which the heat Was initially applied, to the inte-rior part-icles. Even in such gradual heating of large masses, there is an inherent tendency to build up reg-ions of vgreater heat in outer portions and of such intensity as to deleteriously affect the vapors of distillation finally evolving from the interior. ln other Words, from like materials throughout the mass, uniform products of distillation are not obtained. y

Another particular object of my invention is to overcome the difficulties lastmentioned. To that end, inthe novel process and by the novel apparatus, the mass of the materials is given the movements in successive cycles already referred to and these move- 'ments are so directed as to advance the cycles progressively through an extended heating Zone progressively increasing :in temperature. By this treatment, the gradual increase of heat up to that of complete distillation taires place substantially uniformly -throi'igho'ut the mass and Without the creation of regions of greater heat in portions of trie mass positioned to deleteriously affect the distillation produ-cts evolved from other portions. In one fo 1in of my novel apparatus, found particularly satisfactory in practice, and

`been subject to the disadvantages of heating the material to a temperature higher than that most. favorable to distillation due to direct and moreor less prolonged contact of the material with the heating surface.v Another particular object of my invention is to improve the heat-conditions of distillation in this respect. To that end, such movements are imparted to the material undergoing treatment as to advance its particles at a comparatively rapid rate across the heating sur-face. Preferably, also, the current of the fluid medium heretofore referred to is directed not only through the body lof the material in the manner and for the kpurpose already mentioned but through that vlayer of the material contiguous tothe heat transmitting plate and along the surface -of that plate. The current of the fluid medium thus directed has a sufficiently modifying-effect upon the transmission of the heat from the plate to the in o ving adjacent layers of the material to entirely overcome the disadvantages referred to but Without reducing the degree of heat transmitted below the effective range.

The current of the fluid medium directed, as stated, across the surface of the heat transmitting plate and through the adjacent particles of the material being treatedaccomplishes also the additional purpose of sweeping the vapors of distillation, initially formed in the heating Zone, past the hot surface of the heat transmitting plate so as to prevent their stagnation and decomposition into less desirable hydrocarbons.

My invention also con-templates the treatment of certain heavy fractions or cuts from the distillates obtained from the process or of heavy oils obtained elsewhere, which it may be desirable to further destructivelyV distil or to crack into lighter hydrocarbons, such as gasolene or other light motorfuel hydrocarbons. To this end, the heavier y oils referred to may "be introduced either before the distillation process hereinbefo're referred to has been completed throughout the charge then being treated or after the coinpletion of that distillation. Such treatment of the heavier oilsvhas been found particu- .larly effective when the main charge undergoing treatinent is a bituminous coal, the additional treatment of the heavierV oils also resulting 1n an extremely high grade of coke as a residue from the treatment oit both materials.

lily novel apparatus is not only applicable tor the farrying out ot my novel process in the treatment oit the various materials reterrcd to but has a wide variety ot other uses, includingthe drying and calcining of materials.l such as eypsum, tor example.

lhe objects and principles of my invention, stated above, and other objects and principles, will appear trom a detailed description hereinafter to be given ot an illustrative embodiment ot' the novel apparatus in a prei'erred torni, and ot an illustrative example of the novel process. lt is to be understood, however, that the embodiment and example hereiiurtter described are merely illustrative oit my invention and that the broad scope of the inii'ention includes various other specific constructions and processes in accordance with its principles and as defined in the appended clainis. i

lllhile, as stated, my novel process and apparatus are not limited to any ot the particular uses here set forth, they are particularly effective in the treatment of bitun'iinous coal, not only for the extraction of the volatile hydrocarbons therefrom but in the production of a high grade of coke as a residue, and the latter particularly when additional treatment is given to heavier oils obtained either Jfrom the distillates of the process or trom other sources. As the employment ot these materials also clearly illustrates the fundamental character of the process and the principles of operation oi the apparatus, in the illustrative embodiment and examples, for the sake of brevity, i ei'`ei' -uu:e will be made primarily to the treatment of such materials.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an apparatus built in accordance with the provisions of my invention, and show a pre- Yerred embodiment thereof. In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation ot the entire apparatus, and showing the elongated retort and its manner of mounting;

lligure 2 is an enlarged perpendicular transverse sectional view through the apparatus along); the lines 2 of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrow;

Figure 3 is a perpendicular longitudinalsection ot the apparatus along' the line 3 3 oit ll f looking1 in the direction oli' the arrow, and upon a scale reduced from that lf' j. 2;

Fia e l is a horizontal section in plan of the receiving),` end ot the appara-tus the line Ll-ll ot Fig. 3 looking in the direction oit the arrow, and on an enlarged scale;

Fin. 5 is a perspective view et a portion et the inaterial-receiving hopper and feed an enlarged detail view in end elevation of a portion oi the combustion flue or heating; conduit, the retort, and a vapor sealing device associated therewith;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation et the sealing,` dcvice and associated parts shown in Fig. 6;

Fie'. S is a central perpendicular longitudinal section on an enlarged scale through an end portion of the retort and adjacent supporting' wall and showing the details ot sealing` rings;

9 is a diagrammatic plan view of the lower portion ol the retort and showing` the relative positions of certain pipes for the introduction oit' heavy oils for distillation into lighter products, and showing an inlet pipe 'tor the lluid medium hereinbe'tore referred to Figs. l() and ll, are diagrammatic illustrations showing' the directions ot movements oit the material during the course oi its treatmentin the apparatus.

ln the illustratire apparatus, an elongated retort l, desir-ably from to 70 feet in length and Vtrom t to l0 feet in diameter, is provided, the saine being,` in the form of a cylinder or drum, preferably insulated inst ap] neciable loss of heat by a jacket oi any suitalile heat insulatingmaterial.

The retort l is provided with riding rings 3, suliticient in numbers and suitably spaced to rotatably support the retort through the medium ot pairs ot' rollers l, the rollers of each pair upon opposite sides ot the retort, journaled in heavy supporting` brackets 5 mounted upon a suitable foundation as indicated in Fie. l.

ln the illustrative apparatus, the agitation. ot the material undergoing treatment in the retort, and the movements oiE the same in carrying' out my novel process are accomplished by a rotation el the retort. To this end. a gear 6 is mounted upon the exterior surface oli' the retort, which gear meshes with a pinion 'i on a shaft 8, journaled in suitable bearings 9. The shat't S is provided with a pear l0 meshing with a gear ll on a shaft't l2 operated by rotation impelling means. here indicated as a motor 13. The speed ol rotation of the retort .is preferably low, for example, a third olE a revolution per minute, although the speed ol' rotation may vary with the materials to be treated, and a speed changing` mechanism oi" any suitable type may be employed.

The retort is mounted on its bearings in a position inclined downwardly from the receivingto the discharge end, as shown in Fig. 1, and extends at these opposite ends 'through the walls 14e and l5 of briclwork or other suitable 'foundation material. The walls la form a casino' at the receiving end of the apparatus and the walls l5 a casing* at the discharge end. lllithin the casing 14 is contained the mechanism 'for teedingithe charge into the retort, and in the 1.5

'the heat generating means and discharging 'devices for the residue from the process of distillation. g

As shown in F ig. 3, the retort Vextends freely at its opposite ends through the Walls A14 and l5, so that the entire mounting of the retort is such as to :permit longitudinal movement thereof due to expansion, the riding rings 3 and the gear i6, partaking of sliding movements on the rollers 4 and the pinion 7 respectively, in `any such longitudinal movement; It is, vof course to be understood that any suitable form of thrust bearings are to be employed to .prevent the retort from Working toward the lower end. In Yactual practice thrust bearings are mounted either on the stationary supporting brackets v5 or on Aadditional brackets provided for 'that purpose to engage yeither one of the middle pair of riding rings 3. As suoli con` structions are Well known and constitute general engineering practice, it has not been 'deemed essential to illustrate them here, and

'also 'as their omission simplifies the side elevational showing of the entire apparatus presented by Fig. l.

This free mounting of thc ends of the retort through the Walls 14 and 15 requires solneform of 'a gas-tight joint. One desirable forin'of such a joint is shown in Fig. 8,

yand comprises two telescoping rings, one

rigidly mounted on the immovable Wall through which the retort extends and the other mounted on and rotating'with the retort, and a packing between them. Each ring has a vflange for its mounting and free annular portions in telescoping relation. The ring mounted on the retort is indicated by the numeral 16 and the ring mounted on the Wall is indicated by the numeral 17. The closure and packing between the telescoping rings is formed by the ringdislr 18 and parts carried thereby. This ringdisk 18 is freely mounted surrounding the retort 1 and with one of its side faces bearing against the free annular edge of the ring 16,' With Which it is held in contact springs 19, the tension of Which may be adjusted by screws 20. Each spring 19, as f'hoitn'; abuts against the fiange of the ring 17 Which mounts that ring upon the Wall 15; and the adjusting screws 20'pass through the ring-disk 18. A sufficient number of springs 19 is employed to properly cent-er the ring-'disk 18 in its sliding contact with the ring 16; and to prevent rotation vof the ring-disk 18 guide pins 21 are employed. flange of the ring 17 fastened to the Wall 1'5, and extend therefrom loosely through holes inthe ringdisk 1'8. The'ringdislr 18 bears an annular gland 22 with suitable packing 23 thefei'n, bearing upon the outer cylindrical .surface of the ring 17, the

Whole forming gaswtight joint between These pins are affixed in the warping of the retort, one such riding ring 3 being` shown in the location referred to in Fig. 1. l Y

Any suitable form ofv furnace may be used as a source of heat, and the details of the vparticular furnace employed inthe illustrative apparatus ivill later be referred to. The combustion chamber of the furnace is indicated generally by the numeral 241- in Fig. 3. As shown, the rotating retort 1 extends through the forward Wall 15 of the casing containing the discharge conduit, the furnace and its combustion chamber, but terminates short of these portions of the apparatus. A combustion iiue 25 forming a heating conduit extends longitudinally through the retort parallel With the axis of rotation thereof and, as shown in Fig. 3, toward the furnace vend of the apparatus beyond the end Walls of the retort in a position superimposed upon the 4up per Wall of rthe combustion chamber. An opening 2o in the bottom of the heating conduit permits the i'ioyv of the heating medium from the combustion chamber directly upi'vard into lthe heating conduit and therealong to the exhaust fine of that conduit. The heating tconduit terminates, as shown at the right hand side ofthe `apparatus as viewed in Fig. v3,closely adjacent the material-receiving end of the retort, which projects through the Wall of the casing 14. The conduitis supported, as Will -later be shown in detail, so as to permit free rotation of the retort thereabout. A pipe 2,7 dischlargcsithe exhaust gases from the .heating conduit through the casing let and ulti'- mately lupward through the stack 28 to the atmosphere.

The chief fuel used in the retort is preferably the non-condcnsable gases produced during the distillation process. These gases constitute the reject from the condensing plant and areV stored in ordinary gas holders until required. If, for any reason, such gases are not available when the retort is being started u'p', crude oi'lis used in the burner 29, provided for the purpose. In a short time after operation begi1'is,`sufticient non-condensable gases are being produced and when that point is reached the ,supply of ornde oil ia .ahnt off. and the i duced through the burner 30. Valves 3l and 32 are employed to control the quantity oi tuel and hence the degree ot' heat employed. The air tor supporting the combustion in the furnace may enter through a damper 33 or through an additional air port Pfl, or through both.

'lhe tru'nace is controllably operated to maintain a heating Zone in the retort,later to be referred to in detail, et intensities oit heat depending upon the materials to be treated and graduualb7 increasing `from a minimum at the receiving end oit the retort tc a maximum at the discharge end.

[is shown more particularly in Fig. 2, the heating conduit is disposed longitudinally oil the retort, parallel with its axis of rotation and to one side ot the axial center. The heat-ing conduit is desirably 'formed with interior walls ot fire-b 1ick or other suitable refractory material built in suitable steel framework, but with the wall 'facing the axial center of the retort termed of a more ready heatconducting` material. In the il lusf'rative apparatus, a metallic heat conducting and heat-transmitting plate is employed tor the wall referred to, rlihis plate may be 'formed of calorized iron, copper, or brass, or any composition adapted to resist high temperatures and at the same time readily conduct and radiate the heat. The plate is provided with suitable ribs or projections 3G to increase its structural strength and radiation eiiiciency. 'These ribs are spaced apart along the length ot the plate and extend vertically and hence at an angle to the longitudinal artis ot the heating conduit and to the aXis ot rotation oit the retort. is will later more fully appear, these ribs, thus positioned, aid in the movement et the material undergoing treatment troni the receiving to the discharge end of the retort during the rotational movements ot' the retort about the heating conduit.

rllhe location ot the heating conduit to one side ot the arial center of the retort, as shown in Fig. 2 and with the heat-transmitting plate occupying a vertical position, enables the feeding ot a large body of the material into the retort and its subsequent treatment therein. its viewed in F ig. 2, the rotation of the retort is in a clockwise direc tion. its a result ot such rotation, the bed ot material fed into the retort is given a turning movement against the heat-transn'iitting plate as an abutment, which more ment piles up the material between that plate and the opposite wall ot the retort, the upper surface oi this material advancing to a position inclined from the wall ot the retort downwardly to the plate. A continuation of the rotation ot-the retort advances the turning movement ott the body of the material and the inclination of its upper layer beyoud the angle of repose of its particles and a tumbling ot the material occurs downwardly toward and into contact with. the heating plate. This tumbling movement brings fresh particles trom the body of the mass to the surface to in turn partake ot the tumbling movement as the mass continues to advance beyond the angle ot repose ot these particles. The inclination of the upper surface oi the body of the material causing the tumbling movements referred to, is indicated by the letter T in Fig. 2. Partly by gravity and partly by reason of the continuous turning movements imparted to the body oit the material, the particles thus advanced into contact with or into heat-receiving relation with the heat-transmitting plate, continue downwardly toward the bottom of' the retort and then upwardly again in cycles ot movements, the importance ot which movements in the distillation process will later be referred to in greater detail. The ribs or projections 3S upon the heat transmitting plate, extending vertically, and hence at an angle to the axis of rotation of the retort, with the inclination toward the discharging end, t'unction by reason of the rotation of the retort, in advancing the mate lical in these cycles ot movements toward the discha end.

The arrangement oit the heating conduit with the heat-transmitting plate closely adjacent the arial center ot the retort is also oit some importance in relieving the heat transmission plate ot' the excessive strains thereagainst, which would otherwise be caused by pressure ot the material being treated. The material, considered as a body, by reason ot the rotation of the retort partakes ot a slight pivotal movement about the axis of rotation ot the retort and this pivotal movement tends to lessen the pressure oit the body of the material below that axis against that plate.

This pivotal movement is found to occur to a more marked degree when the particles ot the material stick or coalesce into a compact body throughout the mass ot the material being` treated. In the distillation of certain bituminiterous materials, there is a tendency ot the particles or the material to thus stick together into a compact body due to the oily contents distilled therefrom and present on their surfaces, and the formation ot such a compact body seriously interferes with the progress ot the distillation process. ln the present arrangement of the parts oi' the apparatus, however, any substantial continuation ot the pivotal movement ot such a mass would cause the mass to rise from the supporting bottom of the retort to an unstable position, from which a gravity lall would occur causing` a breaking up ot the mass into its original constituent particles` The me: is adopted in the illustrative apparatus Yfor feeding the charge oi the main Figures l', 3, 4 and 5.

The material to be treated is placed in a hopper 37' through which it is fed downwardly by gravity into a 4material-'receiving chamber 38 which is surrounded bythe preheating chamber 39. This hopper 38 is of sufficient height and width to accommodate a substantial supply of the material. The preheating chamber39, communicates at its lower portion with a flue 40. vThe flue 40 in turn communicates at one side with the flue 27 deliveringthe exhaust gases from the heating conduit and at'the other through a by-pass" flue 4l with the stack 2S, the bypass liue being controlled by a damper 42 controlled by a damper rod 43. rIrhe upper portion ofthe heating chamber 39 communicales with the stacl; 28 through a flue 44, lt obvious from the structure shown and described, that the hot gases from the heating conduit maybe discharged directly into the staclt28r4 withoutentering the heating cl`1amber'39, when' the damper 42is moved terial to be treated into the retort is shown to 4the' position opening theby-pas '4l and closing thecommunication between the flue 40' andjthe'chainber 3Q, or such gases may be circulated only through the heating chamber '39 andy upwardly through the exit flue 44 to the 'staclr byclosing the damper 42.` It is also apparentl that setting the damper 4 2 to intermediate positions, the degree of heat imparted'to the materialin the chamber 38 maybe controlled as desired.

The-materiabreceiving chamber 38 terminates Vbelow lin an inclined feed trough 45 having A'a 'curved bottom'of. relatively large dimensions injwhich is locatedla feed' screw 46.` The feed screw is slowly revolved by the worin gear 47, which may be driven through Vsuitable gearing connected with the mechanism driving the retort, or, preferably, by an auxiliary variable-speed, electric motor- That portion ofthe shaft of the feed screw extending through the heating chamber is desirably protected by a'bus'hing'48. By placing the feed screw 46 in the bottom of such a feeding trough asl is here shown, it 'is possible to feed Vin rmuch coarser 'material than could, ber efficiently handled by a closed'- t'ube worm-feed,l thus avoiding the necessity of crushing the materialy to as fine a `mesh as wouldjbe necessary ifa feedingdevice" of the latter type were employed, Y

Because of the location of the heating conduit to one side of the axial center of the retort, the charge feeding means is placed on the opposite'side of: that axial center, as clearly' shown'in Fig. 4. The material is continuously fedinto the retort and piles up between the heat transmitting plate .and the opposite wall. ofthe retort in the manner hereinbefore stated.

A conduit forthe removal of the vapors of distillation'is disposed on one Vside of the body of the material in the retort and av supply line for fluid under pressure with nozzles for directing a current of the fluid medium through the body of the material and toward theV vapor-eduction conduit is disposed on the other side. vIn the illusv trative apparatus, the vapor eduction con'-` duit is disposed above the body of the material in the retort and the fluid supply line below, although these particular positionsY are merely illustrative and are not essentiaf to my'invention.

The vapor conduit, shown in cross section in Fig. 2, and indicated' by the numeral 49, is virtually a llarge boX girderI of' s uflicient strength to meet the strains imposed upon it, and comprising' inner and youter walls. The inner f' walls form a central chamber for thereception and ultimate with-` drawal fromr theapparatus of thevapors of distillation and any condensation frac# tions occurring therefrom as the vapor travers'es the conduit. 'The outer |`walls'forl'na cooling jacket about the interior' chamber, through rwhich jacket 'water is circulated as a cooling medium.

rlflie vapor education conduit is supported rigidly inthe wall l5 at th'e'discharge'end cf 'the apparatus, as showninn'ig. '3, and extends through the receiving end'of the retort into the casing" 14, where it Yisslidably supported upon rollers 50l mounted upona suit-able base 5l,l to provide, for expansion" of the structure of the conduit.

In the. illustrative apparatus, the heating conduit'is supported by suitable beams from the vapor-eduction conduit'. y"The 'ribs "or proj ectio'ns 36, heretofore referredto as eXf tendine; from the heat transmitting plate of the heating conduit, may be used for such supports, andare shown in vthe villustrative apparatus attachedat their upper ends to tue structure of the vapor eduction conduit. Other beams 36V ofl like construction 'are shown uponthe rear side of the two conduits, shown in Fig. 2.

,elsv the heating conduit is suspended from the vaporieduction conduit, to provide for longitudinal expansion of the 'heatinlgiconl duit the Veirit' flue 27 extends through a bushing 52'mountedupon the iiue 40 ofthe preheating chamber 39. The flue and the bushing present' a sliding htandy to provide'a gas-tight joint between them, a gland 5 3 containing suitable packingl 54 is employed. The space between the'upper wall' of the heating conduit'and the bottom wall of the water jacket of the vapor-rduction yconduit is preferably filled with any suitable heat insulating material, as indicated at 25 in The chamber of the vaporeeduction conduit communicates with the retort through tubes one of whichv isv showniin Fig. 2. These tubes are spaced apart ylongitudinally of the conduit and hence of the retort, and each is controlled by an inlet valve 56 of any suitable type operated from without the retort. ln the illustrative apparatus, the valves 5G are indi Hated as pivotally mounted to swing in their own planes and operated by rots 5T suitably journaled .tor longitudinal movement through the retort and ex.- tending through a wall of the casing las shown in Figs. 8 and to positions for their manual operation. rlfhese inlet tubes and Valves for the vapor eduction conduit are desirably spaced about feet apart although this detail of spacing is not an essential feature of my invention. Separate means for operating the valves are employed, as indicated, for the purpose of controlling the hydrocarbon recovery. One example of such control is as follows: If it is desired to withdraw only the lighter hydrocarbons or more volatile fractions and lreep the heavier hydrocarbons within the retort for redistillation and cracking, the val i in the hotter regions of the retort, towai. the delivery end, would all be closed and only a few valves in the cooler part, near the inlet end, would be opened. The open valves would create a current of the vapors coming' from the material undergoing treatment toward the inlet or cooler end of the retort, and hence counw ter-ernment to the cooler throughgoing material. The heavier hydrocarbons in this vaporous current, with boiling points below that temperature existingwhere the valves are open, would condense on the surface of the throughgoing material, while the lighter hydrocarl'ions with boiling points above that temperature would still remain in the vapor state and be drawn olf through the vapor line. The heavier hvdrocarbons thus condensed upon the surface of the throughgoing material would then be carried back into the hotter regions of the retort where redistillation and cracking would take place.

"Within the chamber of the vapor-eduction conduit and immediately below the inlet tubes is positioned a shield or baille 57', extending longitudinally of the chamber. Any suitable suction means is employed, comnninicating with the vapor-eduction chamber, to accelerate the withdrawal of the vapors of distillation from the retort and their passage through the chamber. A., these vapors enter and travel along the eduction chamber any beads or line liquid particles of oil carried thereby or condensed therefrom duringtheir travel drop by gravity upon the shield or baille 57', flow downwardly thereacross and drop therefrom to that portion of the chamber therebelow. Condensation occurs to a considerable extent in the vapor-eduction conduit and the condensed oil lint s its way to the bottom of that conduit. and as it is inclined at the inclination of the retort, the condensed oils flow toward the discharge end of the apparatus. rlhe shield 57 also functions to prevent the hot incoming vapors from coming into direct contact with the stream of condensed oil flowing alongthe bottom of the conduit.

At the lower end of the vapor-eduction conduit, the condensed oil is removed through the drain pipe 58, while the uncondensed vapors and gases pass out under suction through the main vapor line 59 to the condensing and recovery plant.

A pipe for the supply of the fluid medium to be forced in a current through the material in the retort, is positioned longitudinally of the retort and immediately belou7 the heating conduit. Any fluid medium can be used which does not deleteriously affect the process of distillation, and the fluid used will, to some extent, depend upon the materials to be treated. ln the present illustrative example of the use of the apparatus, the liuid medium employed is that of steam. rlhe steam for this purpose is generated in a boiler GO, preferably disposed in the combustion chamber Q41-, and from which leads a steam pipe (il, having` nozzles 62, preferably spaced about one foot apart longitudinally of the retort.

its shown particularly in Fig. 2, the fluid supply pipe is positioned in the longitudinally extending pocket formed by the inclined surface of the material projecting below the heating conduit, the bottom of that conduit and the adjacent wall of the retort. rlthe nozzles are positioned to direct the current of the fluid medium immediately against the depending portions of the body of the material; and therefrom fluid streams spread upwardly through the body of the material and across the heat transmitting plate. The voids formed between the irregular particles of the material and the heat transmitting plate with which they are in contact readily permit this flow of the fluid medium upwardly and substantially across the heattransmitting plate.

The streams of the fluid medium referred to may accomplish various functions depending upon the uses to which the apparatus is put in the treatment of various materials. These will later be referred to in giving an illustrative example of my novel process.

My invention also contemplates the treatment of comparatively heavy oils to obtain tlierr-ifroin lighter hydrocarbon oils, such particularly as the various motor-fuel oils. rlfhe novel apparatus, therefore, also contemplates tlie employment of oil lines, indicated by the numerals 63, 64 and 65, Fig. 2, for the purpose of introducing certain fractions or cuts from the distillate obtained in the process or oils obtained elsewhere, and vvhich it may be desirable to crack into gasolene or other light hydrocarbons for motor use.

. duce these oils into different temperature- Zones o t the retort. h/,lixtures ot the paraffin and the aromatic seriesoi derivatives, suchA as those obtained from bituminous coal treated in the apparatus, require, tory example, a temperature higher than that required.`v

for decomposing oils olf the ,paraiiin-base hydrocarbons, such as alle found in the natural petroleums. The first mentioned oils give a maximum yield of motor fuel hydrocarbons at about 600C? C. and the other at about 550O To provide therefore tor they treatment of. various oils, the oil lines iny the present apparatus extend from the receiving end o r"v` the retort longitudinally thereot' to, dischargingfpositions at different points invr the retort, T his is diagrammati-- cal-ly shown Figure Q. As also' shown in Figure 9 a single manifold 66 desirably be used with branches thereof comprising theoil lines referred toI entending introy the. retort and. Cach havingr valves 67 for controlling the supply therethrough.

Reverting again to the furnacevand material-discharging mea-ns of. the apparatus, as already stated, any form of furnace may be used as also any suitable meansy tor dischargf ing the spent materials or residue from the retort. A y l In the treatment of some matenials, a dis,- charge chute extending. into4 a column4 of water mayy desirablyy be. employed, Yparticulavrly Where theV residue of. thev material treated contains Water-soluble residuesl of su'lticient commercial value to Warrant Ythe expense ot their recovery.v ySome shales,pfor example, contain. `petassium or other Water.- soluble compoundsfvvhichf lare leachedout when thel highly heated shale-residue enters the Water, and, whichE canbeV recovered from Athe resulting liquor. The advisability of such a discharge of the residneforrecovery of the Water-soluble contents can be determined by analysis made of` samples taken from; time to time. Many varieties of shale, however, vas wellV as a large number of other materials do not contain Water-soluble residues of suiiicientcommercial value tojustify their recovery. In the illustrative apparatus, a` Jformotregenerative chain-gratedischar ge usefuly in the treatment of a Wide variety oit materials, and particularly in thet-reatf nient of coal is preferably employed. As heretofore stated, a. particularly high grade ofcolze can be produced in the particular apparatus selectedas an illustrative embodimentVV of; my novel apparatus;. and, as the rapid quenchingot'. coke inwater produces a moreA iriablei productA and also usually malfesfa drying operation necessary, Ir pret'- @tabla @sealer the regenerative Qhaiuferate discharge hereinafter to b e described in. de-

tail. isA tofbe understood, however, thaty treatment in the illustrative example, the,

coalby the, time it reachesV the lowerend of the. retort, has been reduced to the form of coke, by the distillation therefrom of from 8.0 to 95% ot its volatile hydrocarbon con-v tent. rl`he. lcolre. dischargesfrom the retort into theA vertical column 68, which is preferably from, 5 to, 8v feet in height and rectan guiar or oval in cross section, and' desirably ot dimensions approximately 11/2 feet by, 3 'lieet forv the particular apparatus illus trated. i

A traveling chain grate: of any suitable ype, and indicated generally by the numeral 69 is disposed beloxvy the; combustion cham ber, and extends at the discharge end of its trasfell through theair inletuport 34 and at the receiving end of its traveltransyersely across the lower pt ntion.r of the discharge chute 68 in position to receive by gravity thereonA the coke descending through the, chute from the retort. il continuous discharge ot the eolie takes place due tothe slow travel of the grate. rEhe tempenature ofthe eolie in the descending columnE 68 is slightly lower than that at vghich it discharged from the retort (600 tQQOO,O The/eolie is conveyed outwardly through, the air inlet port 34 and discharged; upon aconveyor 70 by which it is conveyedfto vany, placeA desired. v

BytheA arrangement of the ychain grate be.- low thecombustion chamber, gradual'cooling oit the colteV` is obtained with the recovery of its heatI by preheating the air for combustion. The air for supporting combustion in thefurnace entersy abevevthey discharging coke through the `port Stand travels countercuirents tok the outgoing. Coke.

To avoid. comlnistion` of the. colte in the regions of its travel onA the chain grate Where itsfheat is',V stilly great enough to yclause con,- bination of the oxygen of the therewith, and'yet, to impartfasjmuch of, this greater heat aspossibleto the incoming-air, a` heat-receiw ing and heatfradiating, partition, indicated' by thenumeral 7 1 is extended from thejivall of the column 68 rearwardlyl immediately overtherchain grate and,V hence over the regions of greatest heatA o flthecole uponthat grate. The partition is` made ot any suitable heat-conducting material Whichwill receive heat romthe immediately underlying layer of cokeA by radiation andV rapidly` transmit that heat to the column ot'y air advancing above` the partition, Desirably, the partition is made 01:15helevlt iron. By thisarrangement, the, air after, traveling for, some distence inwardly of the air port 34 in direct Contact with tl e lese highly heated perticlee ot the Gol-:a pussies :above the Sheet iron pertition referred to Where it becomes further preheated trom the outgoing); eolie, :uid yet Without Such eontuet therewith ee to Cause ite reinburton. Vifhe air utter trziiforeing the un; er e i Y the partition 'il nuseee into the ronih in @he uber throueh :L noir 'l2 emtroiod by u d' 'per 'lil operated by a, (ler-.iper rod lil troni outer le trie turneeo.

ippliee the iliuel delivered i burners o' SO, :ind the het i is oli combustion page upwardly through the port QG into the heating Conduit; ue heroiubetore stated.

` W nl nets the teer Yfrom the toon the oh g li fijrete uur ,ie leed ei doeii-ably zu iste-:l

ot the eolie Ween Pi rute relive o discharge chute GS r The voed ot the trzive oit the relie thfreoi eo thet the tempefziture einer f' e 'from under the punti?. rou 7l Twill not be gi rter than appr Xinriftely 2F00 il The infon'u g nir, theretoreq is heated tiret bjrY direct Contact ot the coke to about 200 lL und us it plissee up and trevole along Sheet iron partition, the uddit-ioizil heat u" be ubeorbed. The partition placed as; vlot-:e uq possible to the treveiiuo' eolie bei und hewn ee ot the thinnese ot the lever oi' the eolie on the Chain rrete amo its elmvnez-ie ot trereh the eftlioioney ot the heet recovery' f .i Y imi l f, #i i 2 om., .iii Je 1112er. liny iesu un. indeleble/r,

luftliee 77 and TS, ot ordinary construction, uro dispoeed :iboe the ohuin rrete7 so that the ineoiningr air, otter passing the :tiret baille ZY Comes into Contact with the lower eide oLt the baille 78, which is in the region ot greatest heet in the Combustion ehrunber and thereby additional nreheetinp; ot the uir For combustion is effected.

lllroru :i Poke recovery standpoint the turuzfiro und its usieoeizited parte thus described present hei/'eral edrentuggee: The Colle is ,Gradually Cooled ineteed ot being); rapidly Queufl'iod lijf :i Water bath or spray, thug preventing; disintegration oit the `ui'oduot. rlhe heet in the eolie iS recovered und il tor the preheatin oit the air supply Combustion. All of the Combustible :ieee sind Vapore in the eolre are driven ott urine' the cooling; o't the coke und ooneerved Aor use in the furnace.

And lin elly,

e dry coke is produced which, because of its '7 moisture-'tree condition has e greater heat value, end is also better suited tor mixing with Suitable binder and briquetting.

For the treatment ot oil-bearing Shades,

the Sonie type ot 'furnace ond chain-grate discharge may be useda although the hori- 511 ntzil baille Walls 7i' und lo are preferably einenated` und the spent Shale burned diugou the chain-grate, the position ot to burr the ash etlioiently. The then be lef-@hed 1t \=.ziter-uoluble silhfgient commercial velue are line liquid particle@f Ve- ;msoe of distilletion. troni Sweepf .diy oier und to the rear o1n the und tino' con rits in the retort,

:i remfWr-rdly Sweeping moven'ient ie :ieuni or other fluid medi. in iesuine 'from i' e rozzles 62 2) to the ot the bouton; eoruluit devices funei doctors: or seuls or both may deeniployed between the wels ot 'ei'xort und the vapor and heating;` ronlunotion and :iro bo've belor7 the heating ronduitn reepeftivelyf, although it is to be iui lers-zt-f od that thie :zuinige/nient ot the rarious Hurts; :ue inerelv those Selected in the u n .l u iilue'trrtwe embodiment :ind to illustrate the principles; oi" the invention.

'lhe two delleotinpr and sealing deviree in the illustrative :'inperutus are shown es drm' platee tunetioniug as detleetors und Sefmr, although it ie to be uuderitood that y invention is not to be limited to the rtirulzir toi-nie ot the deileetore und Seuls shown The Peper device illustrated "i Fit.; 2, eoinnrises n channel iron T9 eX- tendine' lengthwise upon the Cover of the Vapor conduit in Wh eh Channel iron le freely '.iourueled Yfor pivotal inoveinent en eionoaitod rib 80 projecting from :in elongated Seel plete 8l, (io-extensive With that portion the vener conduit Within the retort. The delleetiuev und Sealing plete 8l, hire Weights 82 and 83 in the :torni of chennel irene eth1-ted to its under Surface adjacent euch eide edge thereof and of euch reletive inmersos; to maintain the 1plate in u nosiitiou upwardly inclined with its outer eide edge in gue-tight but Slidingv engageinent with the interior Cylindrical Surfaces of the retort.

The lor-:er drug delleetor auf seul illustrated Wien. 2, G and Z is designed also to provide i end Seel to prevent leakage ot the venere and around the end of the heating' Conduit adjzirent the eceiving lend of the' retort. The plate ot' lower drag dctleetor and seal, indicated' by the numeral 84, is pivotally suspended' from the angleiron attached to the lower rear edge of' the heating conduit.

An elevational View ot that' end ot the heating conduit in the receiving end of' the retort', and1 showing an end elevational View ot' the lower drag seal, shown in Fig; G. To the end ot the heating conduit is attached a steel plate 86,. desirably o'tthe contour shown` and which extends forwardly ot the front lace of the heating conduitr tached in perpendicular position a plate 87 shown in edge view inFig. 7, desirably of the contour shown in dotted lines in side elevational view in Fig. (l, and having; its lower edge of the curvature of the interior wall of the retort, as also shown in Fig.` G- and` which reposes by gravity inA sliding contact' with that wall. rlher plates 86' and 87 and are disposed as closely adjacent as will permitv the expansion of. the draplate Sl. Such an arrangement, it is obvious, preventsv substantial leak-age ot vapors past the end' of the drag` plate.

The drag" sea-ling'plates 8l and 84 are not absolutelyV essential to the practice my invention although in the illust-rated appa= ratus they are preferably used. In case the interior walls ot the rotary retort are builtv oit a material rendering. these dragsealing plates impracticabl'eor diilicult of use, theymay be dispensed with, and the steam troni. the pipe 6l may be directedy with such pressure as to sweep through the material undergoing distillation and to the vapor eduction ports, so asv to carry the products of distillation with av minimum of dissipation' ot the steam and the products throughout the retort.

ln the discharge. end ot the vapor conduit, shown disposed above the furnace iny Fig. 3. is placed clean-out cover 88, pro-l vided with a look-box7 89 for observing:

the' vapors emerging from they retort. The combustion lue forming the heating; conduit torl the retort is also provided with asimilar clean-out cover 90 and' look-- box7 91.

My novel process may be performed in'v the hereinbetore described apparatus, and in givingan illustrativo example of its performance, reterence will primarily be made to coal as the material undergoing treatment, although, as hereinbeitore stated, this material is merely typical of various materials which can be treated by my novel process and in my novel apparatus..

ln starting' the process, and before non-condensable gases constituting reject7 from the distillation process the the are available, Aoil from any suitable source,l is delivered to the burner 29, andv after the heated gases have traversed the heating. 'liue a sufficient length of time to.raise the temperature of the heat-transmitting plate to the required degrees, the coal will be 'ted into the retort through the feeding-iii means hereiiibe'lore described.

.is liereinbetorc stated, the coal will be lied into the bottom ot' the retort to one side ot the heat transmitting plate, and upon a wil build up in the receiving end ot the retort in a body against the heat transmitting plate., The initial position ot this body. ot the iiiatei'ial.- is in the cooler portion ot the graduated heating zone Within the retort. Although the temperature throughout the retort will vary according to the materials under treatment in the treatment the material: now under consideration, the temperature at the discharge end will beapproiinmtely 60() tol 900Q C., and will gradually decrease toward the intake end. lreterably, the temperature will not rise above approximatelyv 5G()VQ Cl in that portion ot'V the distil ation Zone inr which the hydrocarbon vapors are drivenVv oli' the material", althoucl the' lowerY portion of the retort nea-rer the discharge end may rise'to higher degrees ot temperature..

The materialv is desirably preheated before being` fed to the retortin the manner hereinbe'tore stated, and'l the temperature ot the material gradually increases asit moves toward the dischargeV enell otthe retort.

During: the movement of they material from the receiving to the discharge endA of the retort, theheat isinitially applied there-- to by immediate contact of the heat-transmitting pla-te with those particles ofthev material in contact with that plate, andi heatisthereafter conducted' from particle to particle inwardly ot the mass. The heating Zone oit thev degrees necessary for distillation need not, however, entendV throughout. the mass of' the material. It has been found to be desirable in practice to maintain degrees of heat in the heat-tranemitting'plate which establish an eective heating zone extend`` ing approximately six inches outwardly trom the surface ot the plate. rlhe depth of" this heating. zone, eliective tor distillation, into the body of the material may vary7 however, and my. inver-.tion is not to be understood: as limited'to the particular ligures here given. Rotation of the retort causes agitationY and tumbling ot the material, producing cycles ot movements causing substantially all particles oi the material to traverse at intervals the heating Zone et- `liective Yfor distillation of the volatile' hydro-4 carbon contents.

The vertically disposed' ribs: on the heating plate and the rotation of the retort and sufficient quantity being ted', the materialv its angle with the horizontal cause progressive advance ot the material in these cycles ot movements through the heating zone re- :terred to and in the direction of the gradually increasing degrees oi" temperature.

fis already stated` the heat transniidlingi plate is placed to the right of 'the center line oit the retort, as the parts are viewed in Fig. 2. Figs. l and ll diagrainmatically illustrate tie cycles ot movement ol the particles oi the material. A particle, starting troni the initial position of in the retort t l0) carried upnf'ardly by the rotation oi the retort to 'the position o beyond the angle ot repose. :troni thence rolls by l ,inwardly to the position o in initial Contact with the heat transmittingl plate. As the retort continues its rotation through an angle oi' j, the particle oit the material which has attained the position c in initial contact with the heattransmitting; plate, will be carried downwardly by the turning; movement et' the body et the material to the position c7.. its the material partalies ot tl o nature oi a turning' movement as a holly; the position oil' a` particle at al, indi laies an unstable overhangring Wall in the body ot' the material, leaving' a space e (exaggerated in 'the diagram) between the body ot" the material and the heat transmitting plate. Because o t the Ytorce ot gravity, the n'iaterial1 however imn'iediately hrealrs as a body and the particles thereotl drop down into the space referred to, thereby tending to keep that space iilled at all tiines and providing; a continual downward movement ot the particles past the heat transmitting' plate.

The particles ot the material thus droppini;l down y'ardly and sweeping past the heat transmitting' plate reach positions low that plate, from which positions they are moved upwardly (to the le'lt as viewed in Fig'. l0) airain to positions beyond the angle ot repose et the material,z and troni which latter positions the downwardly rolling' movement to initial contact With the heat transmitting plate. and the movement transversally oi' that plate are repeated.

Fig. il dianralnmatifally illustrates the progression oit these cycles o'l movement 'from the receiving to the discharge end of the retort and hence through the Zones ot gradually increasing temperatures.

The inclined bottom ofi the retort is indicated in lling. 1l by the line A. A particle 01".' the material, starting at a point o at the bottoni of the retort is carried around by the nioveinent ot' rotation ot the retort in an are. represented in projection by the line (d), perpendiculaito the axis ot rotation ot the retort. until it reaches the point o? which is beyond the angle oi' repose ot the body oi the material. From this point the particle rolls downwardly by gravity perpendicular'- ly to the horizontal to the point c oi initial Contact with the heat-transmittine; plate Where it again drops perpendicularly to the point o', in advance ot the initial starting; point a. This cycle oil nioveinent is repeatH ed as indicated dia-egramniatically in liip; ll, the particle attainingr successively advil positions throughout the heatingy zone as indicated in the diagram.

ilu-ring these cycles ot movement et the material undergoing treatment steam or other vluid medium is directed by means ot the spaced nozzles 62 through the body ot the material as Well as across the sui-'tace oil the heat transmitting plate. The current oi the fluid medium sweeping across the heat transmitting; plate modifies the heat in the hea ine; zone and prevents that excessive temperature ot portions immediately adjacent the plate which niipjht otherwise causo caching` ot the vapors, rlhe current siveeping tlnfoupgli the body ot the material evenly disi'iributes the heat from the iriarticles returning troni the heating Zone throu 'hout the boil v oi the material and hence 'prevents flee up of regions ol:x heat causing' deleterious etli'ects upon the vapors o't distillation. 'llie fluid medium in sweeping; through the body ot' the material also ronserves the heat within the npiiaratus and prevents dissipation thereof to and through the Walls ot the retort. And finally, the current ot the fluid medium sweeping; across the heat transmitting plate and through the body ot the material conveys the products ot distillation toward the vapor conduit. The last mentioned eliect ot the rurrent et the tluid medium. is ot particular importance in the cycles ot the distillation process.

To more clearly explain the principles ot operation ot these cycles ot the distillation process.. We may consider coal as a typical example of a material to be treated, and the lump of coal composed ot layers ot hi,- tuininiterous ina Yerial. ln the .first passage ot the niaterial in the cycle 'referred to. when the lump ot coal comes into suilicient heat receiving' relation with tie 'transmittine; plate to start the distillation ot' the volatile hydrocarbon contents 'from the outerinost layer of the bitm'niniterons material, that outermost layer is destructively distilled and the oily distillate is separated from the other portions ot that layer and e2 posed upon the surface ot the lump. rl`he lmnp continues dmvrm'ardly past 'he heat transrnittine` plate to lower positions in the retort Where it encounters the stream ot the lnid medium. This stream 'forced past the lump evaporates or forcibly carries troni its surface the products ot distillation appearingl tliereon and transports their` upwardly through the body or" the .oaterial and to the vapor eduction conduit. The oily portions removed troni the lump leaves the outer llO layer in a comparatively dry and porous condition and when this lump, in repeating` rthe cicle of movement referred toao'aiii comes into conta-ct or into suflicient heat-y receiving relation with the heat-transmit ting plate to again initiate the distillation process, it undergoes the saine distillation step at a slightly higher temperature, that higher ten'iperature effective in evolving' from the next innermost layer of the material its volatile hydrocarbon content.. The hard, dry and porous outer layer is not affected in its first pa ge through the cycle. but the nent underlying layer is af'- fected by the increased heat as was the outer which repetitions an additional interior layer of the lump is affected in the manner stated, until substantially all of the oily or bituminous ingredients of the'lump havel been distilled, leaving a porous mass as coke.

lVhile the particular advantages of the cycles of movement referred to have been emphasized in regard to the distillation of coal, they would apply also to other bituminous or resinous materials in varying degrecs.

As heretofore stated, my novel process also contemplates the treatment of heavier oils, either as cuts or fractions from the distillation process above described, or obtainedelsewhere, to obtain lighter oils therefrom, such as the motor fuel oils.

These heavieroils are introduced into the hotter regions of the retort, as diagrammatically indicated by the location of the discharge ends of the oil lines in Fig. 9.

lt is to be observed that by the time the coal undergoing treatment in the retort reaches the zone of the introduction of the oils referred to, a substantial part, if not all, of its volatile hydrocarbon content has been distilled and removed, so that the residue is in an extremely porous condition.

This coal in its porous condition. presents a particularly advantageous medium for the crackingv of the oils introduced into the re tort rllhe oil cracking becomes in effect apro-cess of cracking upon the surface of a porous material. which a particularly effeetive process of cracking. Viewing the process from the standpoint of the produc tion of colte, also, the oil introduced greatly improves the quality of the colre.- In other words, the eolie resulting solely from the distillation process of the coal, is supplemented by the residue resulting from the cracking igeeasie process` of thel oil. A; special feature (and `one particularly contemplated by my inven'l tion) of the cracking of heavy oils or tars:

when treatingcoal and such oils or tarsin. the apparatus, is the deposit of carbon from the oils or tars'in the pores of the calze left from the coal distillation, thereby makingr a more senseY coke.

briquetted fuel, as the more dense the coke, the less binderreouired to briquette the material. lt is to be understood, however, that the decomposition of the heavier oils or tarsA may be produced in association with the distillation process ofy other materials than coal, although as already stated, the coke resulting as a residue from the distillation of coal.l aresents a: aarticularl advantageous;

surface for the cracking of the'oils or'tars in contact therewith. Any material, however, that leaves a residue froml the distillation process of' sufiicientf body maybe used inf association with the distillation of the heavier oils or tars.

iis hereiiibefore stated, the novel apparatus may be employed for otherpurposes than the carrying out of t-he nevelprocess,

connected with the source of the gas to bev used and communication with the steam supi-- ply cut off.

'lVhat l' claim is:

l. The process of distillation comprising establishing and maintaining a condition of heat of the required. temperature in a heat-transmitting element having a surface adaptedy to engage abody composed of particles of the material to be treated with an` outer layer of particles thereof in Contact with said surface, maintaining the material tobe treated in a unitary body in said engagement and impartingturning movements to said material as said unitary body against said surface as an abutment to bring particles from varying positions therein into contact with said surface at recurring' inter-A vals, and forcing acurreiit of a fluidv medium through said body of the material.

2; The process of distillation of carbonaceous materials comprising establishing and. maintaining' a localizedl heat distillation Zone by a heated metallic element presenting an extended surface for contact therewith of the material to be distilled, maintain-ing a unitary body of particles of the material. iuv contact with said surface, imparting continuous turning movements to said material as a body against said surfacein a direction The resulting product isA particularly desirable for the production of IUD Illa

recante to advance particles thereof across said surface, and directing;` currents ot a `llnid medium under pressure through said material.

lhe process oit distillation oit carbonaceo s materia s comprising` establishingI and mainteininf;` a localised heat distillation Zone hy a heated metallic element presenting an extended surtace for contact therewith of the n'iaterial to he distilled, maintaining; a collected. body ot particles oit the n'iaterial in contact with said surface and extending from said surtace beyond thel heat distillation zone, iniparting;` continuous turning` movements to said collected hody of material aga st said surface in directions to advance particles oit said holly into and entirely through. said heat distillation sono across said surlface to positions lieyond said heat distillation roue in recurrirp,v c', i of moven'ients, and directa "s or a tluid medium under prcsuure through said hotly to dissipate the heat through 'd body and oury to lilou' vapors and ,eases oi? distillation therefrom.

'ilhe process ot distillation ot carbonaceous materials comprisingI establishing and inaiutainingv Within a suitalile retort an interior localized heat distillation Zone hy a heat traiisinittingi` element Ywithin said retort having a surface adapted to engage a unita y hody composed ott particles ot the inaterial to he treated with a layer oit particles thereot in Contact with said surface, maintaining- Within said retort the material to he treated in a unitary hotly in said engagement and imparting turning movements to said material as said unitary hody to bring1 particles trom varying` positions therein into contact With said suritace at recurring,` intervals, and forcing a current of fluid medium' through the said body ot materials.

rlilie process of distillation ot carbonaceous materials comprising establishing` and maintaining` Within a suitable retort a localiyed heat distillation Zone hy a heated metallic element within the retort with said elementpresentinp; an extended surface for contact therewith ot the material to he distilled, maintaining Within said retort a unitary loody ol particles of the material in contact with said surface, imparting continuous turning movements to said material as said unitary hody against said surface in a direction to advance particles thereoil across said surface, and directing,` currents of a lluid medium under pressure through said material and lnvvardly from the Walls ot the retort.

(S. itin apparatus tor the distillation oit carloonaceous materials comprising, in combination., a tubular retort 'tor the material to he treated, a stationary heat transmitting element positioned Within said retort, spaced from the Walls thereof: and hearing,` a substantially flat tace exposed tor contact therewith ot the material Within said retort,

means tor feeding material into said retort, means associated with said retort for impartingv morenients to said material sweeping; particles thereof across said :tace of said heat transmitting element, and a conduit positioned to Withdraw lgases and vapors of distillation from said retort.

l'. ,Ln apparatus for the distillation oit carhonaccous materials comprising, in. combination, a tulailar retort for the material to he treated, stationary heat tiunsmitting` o. an appartus et the class described, a retort tor the materi al to he treated rotating` upon loiugitudinal axis nearer the horizontal than the yertical, a stationary elongated l i element in said retort having a suritace rusposed in vertical plane parallel fith the axis oit rotation oit said retort` and adjacent the axial center thereoit, means ifor supplyiue material to said retort and a yapor-eauction conduit leading therefrom.

E). lin an apparatus oi the class described, in combination with a retort '.tor the material to he treated, a stationary heat conducting element positioned in said retort and having` an extended surface in a plane intersecting; the side Walls of the retort, means for maintaining said element in a condition of heat et gradually increasing degrees in one direction along said surface, means associated with said retort ior moving particles ot said material in recurring` cycles oli movement into and out ol heat-conducting relation with said surface progressively in the direction ot its increasing degrees ot heat, and a conduit positioned to dranr the vapors out o'j said retort.

l0. ln an apparatus tor the distillation of carhonaceous n'iateriais, in combination with a rotatably mounted retort tor the material to he treated, a stationary hesatira;` conduit extending in said retort and having a tlat heat-transmitting` Wall, means for rotating` said retort about said heating` conduit and a conduit positioned to dranr the vapors and gases ot distillation out oit said retort.

l1. lin an apparatus 'for the distillation ot carhonaceous materials, in combination with a rotating,Y retort ttor the material to he treated, disposed With its longitudinal axis nearer the horizontal than the vertical, a stationary heating' conduit extending through said retort longitudinally thereof and having a substantially flat and verticalheat-transmitting Wall, and a conduit positioned to 'draw the vapors and gases of distillation out of said retort.

12. In an apparatus ofthe class described, in combination with a retort .forthe material to be treated, a heat conducting element positioned in said retort vand having a substantially flat surface for contact of said material therewith over an extended area, said retort .and said Vheat conducting element being .mounted .for relative .rotational movement, and said heat conducting element being` so positioned frelative to the walls of said retort asto cause said Vrelative rota tional movement to pile up the material in said retort in masses between the Walls of said Aretort and said surface and gravity movementsfof particles of said massesacross said surface, and fa conduit positioned to Withdraw vapors `and gases from said retort.

13. Iin an apparatus of the class described, in combination With a retort for the material to be treated rotating upon Vaniaxis nearer the Ihorizontal than the vertical, an immovable heat conducting element extending into said -retor't2and having an exposed surface in said retort extending in a plane intersecting fthe Walls of said .retort and -so positioned relative to theaxis of rotation of said retort 'as tofcause during said rotation the piling up of the material in said .retort in masses between the yWalls of said retort and said heat conductingelement.and gravity -movements of particles of said masses across 'the surface yof said heating element, and a conduit positioned to Withdraw vapors from said retort.

14. Inian apparatus of the class described, an elongated tubular retort mounted for lrotation upon its longitudinal axis and With said axis inclined from vthematerial inlet to the `discharge-end thereof, an immovably mounted ffheat-eonducting 'plate -extending into said retort vparallel With said axis of rotation, means for maintaining said plate in conditions of heat increasing from the inlet tof'the dischargeend of said retort, ribs upon said plate disposed 'at 'an inclination to the axis of rotation of said'retort toward the vdischarge end of said retort, means vfor rotating said retort,fand a conduit positioned to Withdraw vapors vfrom said retort.

15. In=an apparatus of the class described, a retort for heating materials Vto evolve vapors therefrom, means for feeding the material to be treated into said retort, means for heating said retort, a vapor eduction conduit extending in said retort and having inlets disposed to receive vapors or gases evolving from the material 'undergoing treatment vand a discharge out-let outside said retort, and a sealing device disposed in said retort to prevent the movements of necesite said vaporsv 'or gases to yportions of said retort remote from vsaid inlets.

16. In an apparatus of the class described, a retort for heating materials 'toevolve vapors therefrom, means 'for feeding the inaterialto be treated into said retort,.nieans for .heating said retort, a vapor-eduction conduit extending in said retort and having inlets disposed to receive vapors or 'gases evolving .from Vthe materials undergoing treatment and :a discharge outlet 'outside said retort, 'and la sealingplate between said conduitand an interior Wall 'of said retort adapted to prevent movements of said vapors vor gases to portions of said retort .remote from `said inlets.

1-7. VInan apparatus of the class described, a rotating yretort 'for vthe material to be distilled, means for yfeed-ing the Lmateria'll ent `rof said retort, extendingzthrough saidretort .and leading therefrom, means for heating said retort, vapor inlets in the `Wall of said conduit lWithin said retort,and a sealing plate pivotally mounted on'said conduit adjacent said .inlets and slidingly engaging the interior Wall of said retort.

118. In an apparatus of the class described, a .retort for heating :materials to evolve vapors therefrom, means Vfor feeding vthe material to be tr-eated into said retort, 'a vapor eduction conduit "disposed to receive vapors yevolved from said 'material and :to discharge them from said retort, a pipe for the supply of a 'fluid medium under pressure disposedrto discharge into saidretort, zand 'a deiector disposed 'adjacent :the discharge outlet of said :pipe inposition lto deflect currents of said fluid medium to- Ward said material. 1

.19. In an .apparatus of the class .described, a .retort .for heating materials Ito evolve vapors therefrom, fmeans Afor disposing` .the material to tbe treated ina body in said retort, a Vvapor eduction conduit disposed in'said retort atone sideof said body of `material and adapted to receive' vapors evolved from said body of material .and :to discharge them from said retort, la pipe for the supply ofa fluid medium under pressure disposed in said .retort .and with noz- Zles disposed `to direct currentsof 'the fluid medium through said material and toward said feduction conduitand a deiiecting shield disposed adjacent said Lfluid'supply pipein position to .prevent flow of said 'fluid medium in directions 'otherfthan through the body ofsaid material andltoivard saideduction conduit.

20. In fan apparatus of the class described, a retort for heating materials Lto evolve vapors therefrom, means for disposing the Vmaterial 'to-'be treated in .fa 'body in seid retorti a Vapor eduction conduit disposed in seid retort et one side of seid body o iiieteriul and adopted to receive vapors evolved from said body ot iimterizti and to discharge tiieii'i from seid retort, :it pipe for the supply of e fluid inediuiil, ouder pref'- sure disposed in seid retort md with noz- Zies disposed to direct ourrei'rts et 'the fiuid medium through said, mfdoriei :and toward seid eduetioi'i eoiir'iuit and a sealing devise disposed adjacent seid Huid suppiy pige-e in positioni to prevent 'fior-7 of: seid 'Huid medium in directions other time through the body of seid iriziterini md toward soie, edimtion Conduit.

2l. fn 2m appel-etes oi the dass Vtesoribed, a retort rotating upon its onggitmiiuzd exis and with seid axis disposed nearer tbe borizoiltzil than the yertiogii, a heutino Conduit fixediy mounted independently or smid retort, extending tberetinoupgb from tbe dis charge end to 2t position eioseiy adju-ent but short of tbe receiving end oi? seid retort., e11- tirely to one side of the :miei center of seid retort and with a beetdrimsiHitting Wadi thereof disposed iii e yortioai. piene adj Cent seid axial Center7 means 'for 'feeding materiel to be treated into said retort in n body between said iieet-trausiriittiog Weil andthe opposite ,interior Weil oi? seid retort, a Vapor eduetiou Conduit disposed to ooe side of seid body et .motorini in seid retort and adapted to receive vapors evolving `from seid meteriai and to discharge the some outside seid retort, e pipo for the suppiy of o, 'mid under iriresslil'e disposed ed: jacent at weil of seid iieetiiig-eondmt and having nozzies direored toward seid body o rglftterizii, e dragjfpifrte extending; loooitudr nelly of seid iieetiiig conduit pivoteiiy mounted on seid beating @enduit mijecent said nozzles and et tbe side tbereo'i"V army 'from seid body of meterizti and siidin gif engaging the interior Weil of seid retortD en ood plete ixediy ettiebed to the ood et seid drag-plete and extendingv into the body of said materiel adjacent 'the receiving; end o't said retortI md :1, Cooperating piste tir@ ediy fitterbed to tbe end, oit seid beating conduit eioseiy adje-cent seid first nientioned end plate.

:in testimony Wbereo l hereunto iii; .si gb n ture. 

